PART ONE: ASCENSION
Act One: Enter Ryoku
Through all-seeing eyes, we are in
Bytold, in the world of Harohto.
It is late evening
On November 3rd, 2017.
Scene One - The Arrival
The small ringing of a bell barely touched the clamour of the already bustling tavern, a singular noise to fall upon deafened and drunken ears. Brief illumination of the setting sun through the doorway glanced off the frame as a traveler entered, scarcely noted, and quietly grateful for it. A few of the patrons saw his light, golden hair that seemed to flicker in the ethereal evening sunlight, or briefly caught the glance of his forest-green eyes.
"Greetings, traveler," the barkeep called out in greeting. She, a young woman with pumpkin-orange hair, was preoccupied pouring a drink and paid little mind to the boy beyond the notice of a new customer. She hardly caught a glimpse of the unremarkable clothing he wore: a baggy brown shirt, the lace at the chest partially askew and hastily tied, the sleeves pushed up on his slender arms. A brown rucksack sat perched on one shoulder; a brown-handled knife at his hip. His black cargo pants tucked into weathered leather boots. The girl's first thought was that this boy had best not try to buy liquor. His fair face and light eyes couldn't fool anyone; he was legal for it in no lands.
The newcomer caught the girl's glance as she finally looked up, and offered a shy smile. The look caused her to fumble as she went to push a drink across the table to a lad eagerly awaiting it. She recovered in a moment, and slid the drink across the counter without spilling a drop. From then on, however, she had eyes only for the newcomer. The boy glanced behind him for a moment, as though expecting somebody to have joined him, but he was the only silhouette in the doorway.
After a long moment, the boy approached the bar counter to the girl, now eagerly waiting.
"Hello," he finally said. He had a light and fair voice, perhaps dipped with some kind of sophisticated accent. It was certainly more refined than the girl's was, she mused to herself. Perhaps he was a mage. "My name is Ryoku Dragontalen, a… Defender. I've come seeking a room for the night."
If the girl was enthralled before, she might as well have forgotten where she was. What an interesting name! And that title...
"Caryl Cerone," she introduced herself in kind. "The farmer's daughter, if it's titles you're after." She managed a light giggle, and he chuckled, but she quickly went after the meat of his statement. "A Defender? Truly? Don't see much of you lot, especially this far south of the capital."
He appeared genuinely surprised. That was about when Caryl could place the hesitation on his tongue. He was new to these parts. She didn't know much about Defenders, but she knew they must be travelers from abroad. They never seemed to know the area they wound up in.
"That is news to me," he admitted. "Unfortunately, I guess I'll be headed there next. I hope it's half as beautiful as the woods around here."
Caryl smiled lustily, inferring his compliment to her rather than the boring village. She was eyeing up the smooth curve of his neck, the lines of his chest disappearing like a tease beneath his shirt. If she weren't on duty, she'd have a very different goal in mind. "You like these parts?" she mused. "Here's pretty dull. Wait 'til you see the capital city. A special stone they built the walls out of makes it just light up at sunset. That old forest is a bit of a drag, but past that, you'll love it."
Ryoku smiled in a wistful way. By the Creator, was Caryl's poor heart ever beating fast. "I'm sure I'll see," he replied softly. "I had a friend with me who told me some about the surrounding area. I… don't really know where they went. They were right behind me." He glanced back at the doorway, as though the mystery friend might pop up in the doorway now. "I guess I can find my way."
He didn't sound so sure of himself. Caryl wondered if his friend was a girl, but she recalled where she was before she asked such an open question. Remembering her duty, Caryl reached back to pick a room key off the shelf behind her. The section she reached for was more favorable, granting a better view of the town for the odd traveler. Normally they cost more, but the owners might never know. That, and she was familiar with that particular bed. Oh, she'd gone up there with travelers more than once in the past. She had to bite back a smile as she turned back to Ryoku and dangled the key teasingly in the air.
"Six gold, friend. Three of 'em get back to you once the room's checked over in the morn."
Ryoku fumbled for the gold satchel at his belt. When he produced it, Caryl saw how noticeably fallow it was. Her heart sank a little. Did he even have enough for the room? The lusty part of her mind reacted like the world was ending. Somehow, she felt like she needed this boy to stay with her. She ignored the fact that the inn was hardly accomplishing just that, but she would entertain the thought.
She was so enraptured by her conversation with the Defender, she didn't notice some chairs nearby scrape back. Their conversation had been overheard.
"Puny gold satchel for a Defender, me thinks."
Ryoku's head inclined toward the voice, but he didn't make eye contact. She saw the bored expression in his eyes, and gave the approaching men a warning look. They didn't have eyes for her – which was odd, to recount. She'd been the apple of this tavern before.
Two burly men sauntered toward the counter. The speaker came to lean heavily on the counter, nodding to Caryl for a drink. She didn't stir. The other rounded Ryoku's other side.
"Think he's got more in that bag, Bruno? A Defender has gotta be loaded, I'd say. Legends talk of the different places y'all have been. All the riches ya must have gathered."
His friend guffawed, but Ryoku rolled his eyes. "Not unless dry bread and a sleeping roll go for high stakes in this place."
The speaker cut his laughter short and redacted a little. Apparently, he was surprised to hear Ryoku talk back. Normally, any man Ryoku's size would have balked and handed over their stuff, no matter how meager. Caryl cringed. Defender or no, he was not smart to retort to these guys. As if in response, the man beckoned to his table, where three more men got to their feet.
"Think you're witty, kid?" the man demanded. The man behind him grabbed him by the arm as the first staggered closer. Ryoku didn't stir other than to raise a delicate brow in question. This only made the speaker growl under his breath. Ryoku's nose wrinkled as he closed in. Drunkard wasn't the kindest odor, I knew. "I've half a mind to knock some sense into ye. Who d'ya think yer talkin' back to, kid?"
Ryoku's eyes rolled so hard, they might slip from their sockets. "Half a mind? That cannot be too much, coming from you. You haven't even given me your name."
Caryl could have screamed at him. Why was he talking back to these guys? Did he have a brain between those cute ears of his? Now that he tilted his head, Caryl noted a distinctive point to his ears. Elven, she realized. Not the dagger-like ears that Bytold sometimes saw in summer guests, but with a smaller point.
His retort was all it took. The one gripping Ryoku's shoulder dragged him off his seat, and the speaker lunged at him with a fist the size of a stone. With the speed of a fish, Ryoku sidestepped out of his grip, ducking underneath the incoming attack to reappear on his other side. With a thwack like two stones, the attacker struck his friend soundly in the gut. He moaned, and fell like a rock.
On his other side, Ryoku chuckled. "Sorry about your friend, but I think he was better suited for that hit than me."
Did he realize that hit could practically kill him? Caryl fumed, but she was helpless.
"Ruddy brat!" the attacker swore, reeling around to face Ryoku once more. He swung heavily at Ryoku's head, but the spry Defender easily ducked beneath the blow, causing the drunk to stumble heavily. As Ryoku slid out of the way, Caryl thought she saw something on his arms. A small glint. His weapon?
Ryoku didn't account for the other folk approaching the brawl. One snatched him by the arm. Like a flash, Ryoku lashed out with his knife, but another friend of the original drunk caught him hard by the wrist, causing the knife to clatter to the floor.
Only now did Ryoku's eyes widen in alarm. Did he really think he could outmaneuver them? Granted they were slow as logs, but they still outnumbered and outsized him.
Another man grabbed his free arm. The boy wriggled like a fish out of water, struggling to free himself from captivity. The one who started the brawl sauntered forward, stepping around his unconscious friend on the ground. Caryl's breath caught in her chest. She hated times like this. She was capable for a lass in Bytold, but she stood no better chance at stopping this than the boy did.
"Your lot aren't so big and mighty after all, are ye?" The man spoke in slurred words, closing in on Ryoku like some kind of wild wolf. "Defenders." He spat on the ground, just shy of Ryoku's boot as the Defender struggled to stand tall. The entire inn was fixated on the brawl now, but not a soul rose to stop what was unfolding. This group was a little infamous around here, and interference couldn't go well.
"Ye swoop in from Creator knows where, expectin' the common folk to kiss the ground where ye walk. Well, looky here. I caught me one of the stupid folk. And I'm gonna let the rest of ya know my message."
He raised his fist. Ryoku's head flinched away. Caryl cringed in unison with him. She actually liked him, and here she was, forced to watch as a bunch of angry drunks decided they didn't like the way he looked.
The next sound was a loud, spine-chilling crack, one that seemed to ricochet across every wall in the tavern. It could have easily been Ryoku Dragontalen struck down by this ugly drunk's fist, but something about it made Caryl glance up. The drunk screamed in pain, his full weight thrown off the ground.
A young man had somehow pushed his way through the crowd. Among the crowd, he was the only one who saw something unjust and decided to act. Caryl recognized him – Will Ramun, a crusader from a distant kingdom called Syaoto. He stood taller than many men in the bar did, but he wasn't quite as beefy as the regular drunks were. He was young, too, perhaps about Caryl's age, though his sapphire eyes gleamed with acquired wisdom. Standing in his dark green tunic, he towered over the man he'd knocked down with a single strike like Dante himself.
He casually lowered his fist as Caryl tried to hide a giddy grin. Ryoku's mouth twitched to hide his own evident surprise and relief. Not a soul in the bar stirred.
"Now, now," Will reasoned, though his eyes narrowed. "This is a public place, a respite where food and drink are served with little complaints about your squalor. If you seek a brawl, may I suggest the Old Forest? Things lurk there which could use the brawn of such men." He looked down upon the fallen man, who struggled to push himself up. "If you sought to do good, I suppose you would find it elsewhere, not targeting such a young lad in evidently uneven odds. Bytold needs men of valor, not petty bullies."
The men who'd been clutching Ryoku stepped away. Ryoku rubbed his hands, but didn't retrieve his knife just yet. He sized up Will as though trying to decide if he were a friend, or another foe. Nobody noticed the one felled by his own friend's strike snatch up the knife Ryoku failed to retrieve.
Will tilted his head toward Ryoku, who stared at him. "Stay behind me."
Half a second later, all five men lunged at Will, including the one who snatched the knife. Will didn't seem to move for a moment, long enough for Caryl to wonder if he really saw it coming.
Then he dropped to the ground. He threw all his weight onto one arm and swung out with his leg. One unlucky man flew from his feet, landing hard against a table and splitting it asunder. The man next to him took the brunt of Will's elbow to his jaw, sending him spiraling backward and over a chair. Will pivoted, and caught the next man around the midriff hard enough to throw his full weight into a fourth culprit, sending both men crashing into the last unscathed chair.
The once silent bar erupted with wild amusement and fear as the brawl sorted itself out. None dared step in to support the thugs, but none helped, either. Caryl knew Will had it covered.
The one with the knife skirted around his fallen allies without fear. Will's glance fell upon him like the decisive stare of the reaper. One well-placed kick knocked the knife from his hands before the man could so much as adjust his grip. The air rang with the sounds of broken fingers and the resounding scream that followed. The knife, freed from the thug's clutches, sailed through the air to land point-first in a nearby table, scaring the wits out of a few other patrons.
The man clutched his broken fingers, cursing as he scanned the room for a new weapon. One of the thugs got up and ran at Will for seconds, but Will reared on him and struck him soundly in the jaw, sending him straight back into the chair he clambered up over. One of the others had gotten to his feet and now hesitated, looking around at his fallen comrades with bewilderment. Will studied him with a small smirk.
"I believe this is finished," he said sharply. "All of you, dispatched so easily by a single man. Your time spent in a bar reflects your fighting prowess. I have seen better fights when I was a lad." When the man looked up at him, Will fixated him in his gaze. "Apologize. Then perhaps I could allow your leave."
The man growled under his breath. However, seeing the state of his friends, he had no choice but to drop his fists to his sides and let out a gravelly sigh. "Sorry, kid," he muttered, just like a child forced to admit defeat. "It's the drink, y'know. Makes us harsher than we mean."
Will gestured to Ryoku, who managed a wry smile. "S'alright," he said softly, coming over to stand with Will. His hands hung at his sides like he didn't know what to do with them. "No real harm done, I guess."
With a grateful nod aimed somewhere between Will and Ryoku, the man went to rouse his friends, leaving only the one with broken fingers behind. When those four had cleared out, Will strolled toward the table where Ryoku's knife lay embedded. One of the men sitting there yanked it free and held it out to Will, who accepted it with a courteous nod. While he walked back to Ryoku with it, he studied the blade, turning it over in his hands. It was a simple knife, with a fine coppery handle and a blade only a little longer than Will's hand.
"I believe this is yours?" Will asked softly, and flipped the blade over to offer it to Ryoku, handle-first. "Perhaps you should keep a better grip on it in the future."
Ryoku smiled sheepishly. "Right. Thanks." He slipped the knife back in its sheath before returning his gaze to Will. "And... Thank you. For saving me, I guess."
Will grinned. He looked older than Ryoku, but not by too much, and handsome in quite a different way. Caryl had the luxury of having seen that body in its full glory before, but nothing about the way Will looked at her betrayed that fact to Ryoku. In fact, why was she even worried about that?
"Not at all, my friend," Will assured him earnestly. "Their idea of an even match is five huge men against one boy. No offense, but you stood little to no chance against one of their ilk." He paused, and watched as the last man conceded defeat and ducked out of the inn. Will watched him go; waiting for a long moment as though he might decide to return, before he turned back to me." My apologies about the damages. I have some gold to cover it if you wish."
Caryl shook her head, smirking. "No, we go by 'the last man to touch it is responsible.' If you recall, that'd be those flying men there."
Will hid a smirk behind his hand as he returned his attention to Ryoku. Their eyes locked for a long moment, staring at each other with some sort of quiet acknowledgement. Caryl waited patiently, wondering if this had something to do with her. Yet, something about the atmosphere between them made her wonder if they knew one another.
It only dispelled when Will offered his hand. "My name is Will Ramun," he said, "median-rank soldier from Syaoto. I am here on expedition with a small platoon of soldiers led by Field Commander Lancet Cooper."
Ryoku accepted his hand. "Ryoku Dragontalen," he replied, looking a little abashed now. "Um, Defender. Of Brooks, I suppose."
"Brooks?" Will studied him. "Oh. Not Brooklyn, I assume. You do not look the type." Ryoku only looked confused, so he went on. "A Defender, though. That is interesting. Your kind is more likely to appear in places such as my home, not the backwater villages in Harohto. You... must be headed to the Capital. You are a new Defender?"
Ryoku didn't seem to understand much more of Will's words than I did. "Yeah, I'm new," he agreed. "I ran into someone when I arrived, who guided me this far with the knowledge to head to the Capital, seeking the Registry."
"Ah, to officially register as a Defender. A smart move." Will acted quite curious of the boy, and the boy didn't seem to know what he was talking about. Will's brow arched. "Someone met you? As in... When you arrived here? Was it a Guardian?"
Now Ryoku looked confused again. "A Guardian? What's that?"
Will shook his head, chuckling to himself. "How different you are from the normal Defenders I have met." He murmured this mostly to himself, and Ryoku looked offended. Did Will mean to say they were often more impressive and well put together? Ryoku knew he didn't know much about his coming duties, but he liked to think he could figure it out on his own. Will looked back to Ryoku, and smiled. "I see. You have really been hurtled into this life, have you not?"
Ryoku nodded. "It was a hasty decision."
"A hasty decision? To come to a whole new..."
Will trailed off with a glance at Caryl. What was he about to say? He changed his train of thought, then, and looked back at Ryoku. "Well, alright. You say you head to the Capital? A journey of at least three days through the woods for one who knows the trails, and... I presume you do not know the trails." Ryoku shook his head. "The option also exists to scale the cliffs to the far west of the forest. An option for a more fit man with better supplies, and it would be a quicker journey, but it is also highly dangerous. More so than the Old Forest, I dare say. And... You truly do not have your own Guardian yet?"
Ryoku was starting to look quite abashed with his lack of knowledge, and a little frustrated. "No—I don't know what that is, honestly. Don't tell me that I can't go on without one, because I can and will prove you wrong. As long as the forest isn't swarming with angry drunks, I think I'll be fine."
Will couldn't help but chuckle. "No, I would say the forest has anything but angry drunks. Perhaps lost ones." He adopted a serious expression quickly. "A Guardian is someone sworn to protect a Defender. Since your lot are from... so far away, they tend to pick out some strong locals to accompany them on their journeys. They swear official vows, and the ritual grants them some rights above the average person. Over all, they ensure the Defender can go about their work without getting their butt handed to them at every corner. It sounds awfully showy, but it is a tedious task."
Ryoku's brow flicked up. "Do you pay them, like mercenaries? Because I honestly don't think I can even afford a room at this inn, let alone some burly bodyguard. Perhaps I should go after those drunks."
Will chuckled, and Caryl's heart sank in her chest. The poor kid didn't have much going for him, did he? He was giving Will a somewhat defiant look. No matter what the experienced soldier would tell him, he might still forge on through the Old Forest. Caryl hadn't been far into the woods at all, and only with her father and an armed escort. It was a dangerous place – more so than her bar, if that was believable these days.
"Hold on a moment," Will told Ryoku, and he went to a table in the corner of the inn. A day bag was resting on the chair. Caryl honestly couldn't recall if he'd been here before the brawl broke out, or whether he snuck in during the conflict. Regardless, he returned after fishing out a gold satchel from the side pocket. It was far deeper than Ryoku's, and the Defender was already giving him a protesting look as Will fished through it on his way to the table. A few of the poorer denizens of the tavern eyed his satchel, but they must know they could never wrest it from Will's hands.
Rather than pool any gold into Ryoku's hands, he slid some across the counter. "Two rooms for the night, please," he told me. To Ryoku's questioning look, he smiled. "I am certain of little in life, my friend, but I can tell you might face a mighty trial in those woods. As of late, they may be even more dangerous than normal. In the morning, we will speak with my team in the village and see about guiding you through those woods. If you must face those ordeals in the woods, then you should not do so alone. If anything, I will accompany you myself."
Ryoku looked completely taken aback. Whatever he thought to happen, it wasn't this. "I-I don't have enough gold to hire some expert mercenary team!" he protested. "I don't... I don't know how this works..."
"You do not," Will replied with certainly, but he was smiling. "It does not matter. There must be a reason for our meeting today. Perhaps my time of ambling around this village comes to an end. I will guide you myself, one way or the other. We will make a few stops tomorrow."
Ryoku's head tilted. "What sort of stops?"
The tone of his voice made Caryl turn to him again. Curiosity and eagerness were knocking aside his hesitation over Will's choices. A spark was forming within him. The promise of a journey. The look of brightness in his eyes made Caryl's heart do somersaults. The look of a boy anticipating adventure was an appealing one.
Will scratched his chin airily. "I will have to speak with my team," he murmured, "and we will stop by the blacksmith. The owner is a friend of ours, and I am sure I can strike a deal for some better tools for you." He looked Ryoku over with an appraising eye. "Hmm. Perhaps a bow or staff."
Ryoku's brow flicked back up. "Do I have the money for—"
Will silenced him with a hand on his shoulder and an easy smile. "Do not think of the money, friend. After all, Defenders do tend to come across money in alarming abundance. For now, we ought to rest. Night falls, and a fit sleep will make for easier travel."
Ryoku only nodded, bouncing on his heels. He didn't look like he needed the sleep at all, despite having narrowly avoided a full-on brawl with several drunks, and it sounded like his whole day was a little odd. The adventure ahead of him would be an even greater trial, Caryl knew. Monsters prowled the Old Forest, along with the raiders and brigands who were rumored to hold tramping grounds in the northern forest. She knew, too, that more dangerous things haunted the woods. The bounty board at the inn near the edge of town always had some manner of terrifying creature with a price on its head. Caryl shuddered at the very thought.
She caught herself in her thoughts. Caryl still clutched the key she fetched for Ryoku, leaving a red imprint in her palms where she'd been squeezing it. She let go, and quickly swept up another key from behind her. She had no doubts, now, about grabbing two high-quality room keys for the pair. She held them out to the pair. Ryoku reached for his, but Will held up his hand – Caryl tossed him his key, and he caught it expertly.
Ryoku's hand touched hers as he lightly swept up the key, and she met his gaze. His eyes were breathtaking, especially when he was close enough to touch. Now, with nothing else between them, it was like seeing the sun break through the clouds, and she saw everything. He must be scared of the journey ahead, of the impossible tasks laid out for him – of which, the terrifying woods was only the first hurdle. His tavern brawl would hardly hold a candle to the horrors beyond. Caryl heard stories of the outside world all the time. Stories of the horrors of the southern war, of the horrific monsters in the woods across the mountains, and especially those from the soldiers of Syaoto. Even Will had told some dark stories about monstrosities beyond her little village. At least the brave soldier was going with him. That gave the boy some determination to piggyback on his fear. It went unsaid, but there must be something unworldly ahead of him. A reason that Ryoku Dragontalen braved new worlds, dodged drunks, and plotted ways through wayward woods. He had something to fight for – and Caryl felt he might actually be strong enough for it, deep down.
"Thank you so much," Ryoku told Caryl politely, clasping his hands together in some strange, unfamiliar bow. When he brought his head back up from it, Caryl couldn't see past the shields in his eyes now.
She managed a shaky smile. "Of course," she replied, as though helping intriguing and attractive Defenders was part of her job description. "If you need—"
He cut her off in the most unexpected way. In a light, natural movement, Ryoku eased over the counter and lightly kissed Caryl upon the cheek. She flushed red, blind to the looks of anyone else in the tavern.
"I'll be fine," he assured her with a dreamy sort of smile, the corners of his eyes like intricate fans. "Thank you."
"Y-Yes," she stammered, quickly losing grip of her emotions. Ryoku Dragontalen was a rare boy, she knew, and he was slipping from her grasp as if she tried to sweep up the river against her chest. She couldn't explain why, but it felt like her meeting with him was important. He would stay in her mind for a long time, even as he walked away with Will up the stairs. The kind soldier already had his arm around the boy's shoulders, immersed in some kind of topic that made Ryoku chuckle and glance back. She watched them go, wishing she could be the one taking him up to his room.
It was with a heavy sigh that she returned to her duties. The life of adventure, of romance, of promised danger and, most importantly, a spot next to that boy – it wasn't for her. Her father needed her, and she needed to stay here where it was safe.